It’s Off to Work I Go (III)
1Thes. 4:11-12
1-19-03
We have been talking about our attitudes toward work. The Bible teaches a work ethic that transcends culture, crosses generations, and is applicable to every one of us—a Biblical View of Work. As we embrace the word of God in this significant area of our lives how should we view our work? In previous messages we have found that we should see it as:
1. A Present from God – a gift from the Lord (Eccl. 5:18-20)
2. A Protection from Temptation (2 Sam. 11:1-3)(1Tim. 5:13)
3. A Provision for our Needs (2 This. 3:6-15)
4. A Partnership with God (1 Cor. 3:9) (Jn. 5:17)
5. A Portion to Others-opportunity to invest ourselves in serving others (Matt.20:28)(Eph. 4:28)
This morning we will conclude our series by talking about our work as:
6. A Purpose fulfilled (Eph.2:10) (Prov. 13:4)
7. A Proclamation of Christ (1 Thes. 4:11-12)
6. A Purpose fulfilled:
God has a purpose for every person here today. And for every purpose there is work to be done. Eph. 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” NIV God has designed good works for us to do and He has designed us to do those good works. Personal fulfillment is enjoyed in discovering what those good works are and doing them.
When the company founded by Andrew Carnegie was taken over in 1901 by the U.S. Steel Corporation it acquired as one of its obligations a contract to pay the top Carnegie executive, Charles Schwab, the minimum sum of $1,000,000. J.P. Morgan of U.S. Steel was in a quandary about it. The highest salary on record was then $100,000. He met with Schwab, showed him the contract and hesitatingly asked what could be done about it.
"This," said Schwab, as he took the contract and tore it up. That contract had paid Schwab $1,300,000 the year before. "I didn’t care what salary they paid me," Schwab later told a Forbes magazine interviewer. "I was not animated by money motives. I believed in what I was trying to do and I wanted to see it brought about. I cancelled that contract without a moment’s hesitation. Why do I work? I work for just the pleasure I find in work, the satisfaction there is in developing things, in creating. Also, the associations business begets. The person who does not work for the love of work, but only for money, is not likely to make money nor to find much fun in life(1)." God has created in every human being a desire for significance. Whether it’s a Christian or a Non-Christian, every human being needs a sense of significance and accomplishment. This is a great connecting point for evangelism. Charles Schwab saw something in his work greater than just making money. The person who works only to make money is operating at the lowest level of motivation. There is indeed motivation in making money. But there are reasons far more fulfilling and satisfying.
A man once came across three workers cutting stones from a quarry. He asked them what they were doing. One replied: "I am cutting stones." The second said: "I am earning money." The third answered: "I am building a cathedral(2)."
I would take that story one step further. When a person sees me working on that new facility—I know what I’m doing. I am reaching lost people for the kingdom of God. I am facilitating the salvation and training of children who will one day grow up and change the world!
Motivation for work comes through seeing beyond the immediate task to the higher purpose. Joseph was a man who saw beyond the immediate. He worked for something more than a paycheck. He had a sense of destiny in his soul and pursued it. Here are two keys to job satisfaction: 1st, a purpose beyond the immediate. (Joseph lived with divinely inspired vision. There were obstacles. There were disappointments. But the vision was greater than the obstacles. Joseph had a Dream. 2nd the Discipline to appropriate the dream. Joseph was a hard worker. He worked hard in the house of Potiphar. It wasn’t even his house. He served in another man’s house. But still he worked hard there. He worked hard in prison. He could have focused on the difficulties. He could have looked ate the injustices in his life and justified much less effort. But he did what he did “as unto the Lord.” He had a cause, a purpose, and he was diligent toward that purpose. Do you have a Dream? If not ask God to show you His Dream for you. Do you have the Discipline to live the Dream? If not ask God to establish that in you.
Think about Caleb. His strength did not wane. What energized Caleb even in old age—a sense of destiny—a God-inspired determination to fulfill God’s purpose for his life.
Do you see your work in the context of a greater goal than the immediate task? If you do you will be motivated. Our fulfillment in our work must be found in pleasing the Lord—doing His good pleasure. Work should never be a substitute for relationship with God. It should proceed out of relationship with God. That is a secret to living a balanced life and that is a secret to finding satisfaction in our work.
Col 3:22-25 says, “Slaves (or in our culture-employees)(3) , obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.” NIV
When we work out of a sincere desire to please the Lord—when our mind, our attitude, toward work lines up with God’s word, a marvelous thing happens. It is a supernatural transformation that occurs because of a choice made in our hearts. It is a transformation of the secular to the sacred. When we are motivated right in our hearts to our work and we sincerely do it “as unto the Lord”, no matter how common our task may be it becomes spiritual service unto God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. That is something available to every one of God’s children.
One of the few regrets I have since I moved to Springfield is not getting acquainted with Robert Ashcroft. Some of you knew him. I did not know what a great man of God he was until I learned more about him through others and read some of what he wrote(4).
“In January, 1995, according to an article written by Gary Thomas, J. Robert Ashcroft had fewer than forty-eight hours to live, but he was holding on to life, hoping to see his son, John Ashcroft, sworn into the U.S. Senate the following day. [John Ashcroft, as we all know by now…is our Attorney General]. As family and friends gathered in Washington for a small reception, J. Robert Ashcroft asked his son to play the piano while everyone sang, ‘We Are Standing On Holy Ground.’”
“After the song, the frail old man spoke some powerful words: ‘John, I want you to know that even Washington can be holy ground. Wherever you hear the voice of God, that ground is sanctified. It’s a place where God can call you to the highest and best.’”
“Wherever we are in our vocation, if Jesus is Lord of our lives, that place is a holy place of service for Him”(5).
Do you realize the privilege, the authority, and the responsibility that is yours (as an ambassador of Jesus Christ) of sanctifying your work place unto God? That revelation puts work in a whole new perspective—to arrive on the job and in your heart say, “Lord, I am here as your agent. I invite you to rule and reign in this place. Where there is strife I ask for Your peace to prevail. Let Your kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit rule in my place of employment(6).” Even the place you work can be holy ground.
When we see our work as a purpose fulfilled, a part of God’s great plan for our lives, we are motivated and we experience personal satisfaction in our work.
Proverbs 13:4 says, “The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.” NIV I believe that satisfaction goes beyond physical needs being met. I believe there comes a satisfaction and fulfillment in our inner being as well.
In contrast to the Fulfillment experienced by the diligent let me share with you some of the Frustrations experienced by the lazy.
1st the frustration of Unmet Needs:
Proverbs 13:4 , “The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.” The cravings remain; the desires are still there—basic desires as well as emotional needs. But because a lazy person refuses God’s chosen means of provision the needs don’t get met. And he lives in a state of frustration as a result.
2nd the frustration of Growing Problems:
Prov 24:30-34 “I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; 31thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds,and the stone wall was in ruins. 32I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a
lesson from what I saw: 33A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to
rest—34and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.” NIV
Here is a person who had a field, had an opportunity to do something with it. He could have plowed it, planted, and grown a harvest. Instead he took a little time off perhaps hoping that the problems would go away while he rested. But the problems didn’t go away. They multiplied. A few weeds became many weeds. Often by the time someone comes to us for help they don’t just have one problem. They lost their job because “the boss didn’t like them”. The rent is due. The car won’t run. The utilities are about to be turned off. Growing, growing problems because they weren’t dealt with as they emerged.
Eccl 10:18 “If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.” NIV
And usually the poor fellow feels like such a victim. Other people’s roofs don’t leak. It’s always somebody else’s fault—probably poor workmanship when they built my house.
3rd the frustration of Finding Excuses:
Prov 20:4 “The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.” NKJV
Prov 26:13-16 “The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!" As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. 15The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. 16The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.” NIV
Can you see the imagery here? I can hear the hinges screech as he turns in his bed.
There is an exaggeration of the difficulties—a lion in the road, a fierce lion! Shoot the lion and get the job done!
Have you discovered there is an excuse for just about everything? We all do pretty much what we choose to do. There is a dangerous deception in thinking that having an excuse is equivalent to doing what needs to be done. This man did not plow because of winter. He had an excuse. It was cold. But excuse or no excuse he suffered the consequences of not plowing.
4th the frustration of Control by Others:
Prov 12:24 “Diligent hands will rule (promotion)(7) , but laziness ends in slave labor.” NIV
Because he wouldn’t discipline himself others have to do it. He winds up and the bottom of the organization chart. Back in the ‘70’s there was a popular song entitled “Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay”—“wastin’ time.” That song is a perfect depiction of Proverbs 12:24. One of the complaints in the song says, “I can’t do what ten people tell me to do.” I wonder how he got into that situation?
There is a fulfillment God wants us to experience in our work. It comes as we see work as a part of God’s purpose for our lives. It comes as we discover what God wants us to do and do it.
A biblical view of work also views it as
7. A Proclamation of Christ:
In the Great Commission Jesus told us to, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation “Mark 16:15 NIV
Going to work is often an important part of the Going. In our culture people are not very receptive to door-to-door visits. There are exceptions; but most people don’t want strangers knocking on their door when they get home from work. They want to close the garage door and “chill out.” It is their retreat from the stress of life and they don’t want it interrupted by telemarketers or anybody else. Back in the early ‘70’s we had good success with street evangelism. But people are not near as receptive to that as they were during the hippie movement. One of the most legitimate ways we have to touch Non-Christians lives is by simply going to work with them. That is a great opportunity for evangelism that we still have.
When we get there, they are not normally waiting to ask us about Jesus. We usually have to earn the right to share the gospel with them. One of the most fundamental steps toward that is living a biblical work ethic. They are watch what we do before they put much confidence in what we say. They are watching how we respond under stress. They are watching how we relate to other people. And they are watching how we work.
1 Thess 4:11-12
“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” NIV
Paul gives two reasons for work in verse 12. One is so that we can provide for our own needs and the needs of our family. We have talked about that. The other reason for our work is so that our daily life will win the respect of outsiders. Why is that so important? Because people listen to those they respect. Winning that respect is foundational to evangelism. When we are working with other people they react to the way we work. They resent those who don’t carry their load. They respect those who do. The way we work speaks very loudly to Non Christians. I’ve watched zealous Christians who are not established in a biblical work ethic try to witness on the job. It’s usually not well received.
St. Francis of Assisi said, “Always preach the gospel, and when necessary, use words.”
That advice is so applicable to the work place(8). There is a time to speak; but it’s usually after our actions have prepared the way for the message. In his book, Lifestyle Evangelism, Joe Aldrich says, “Christians are to be good news before they share good news(9).” A hard worker is good news to an employer. A person with a biblical work ethic is good news to his or her fellow workers. That’s why Paul instructed the early church about the importance of those relationships. Look again with me at Colossians 3.
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye
is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the
Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord
, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord
as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25Anyone who does wrong will
be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. 4:1Masters, provide your slaves
with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in
heaven. Col 3:22-4:1 NIV
In our culture we would talk about employees and employers instead of slaves and masters.
Paul tells these Christians how they are to behave in either role. In verse 23 he talks about their work ethic. He says “…work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…”
That’s a positive way of saying, “Don’t be a slacker.” The Message translation says, “And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God…”. There is a work ethic in the word of God that is an important part of the evangelism process. Romans 12:11 TLB “Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.”
So we work hard. We are diligent, fervent in our business. Instead of murmuring and complaining about what’s wrong we look to God for better ways of doing things. We do it all for the glory of God and it positions us to be an influence.
Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matt 5:15-16 NKJV
What are they going to see? They are going to see our work. They are going to see what we are doing. The work we do is the way we let our light shine. Our work is a proclamation of Christ in us. They don’t see us sitting here in our pews on Sunday morning. They see us at work. That’s where the light has to shine if they are to see it.
Does my behavior on the job invite curiosity in Non Christians? Is enough light shinning to cause them to inquire as why it is so? Peter said, “…Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” 1 Peter 3:15 NIV
Why do we work so hard? Why do we not steal neither time nor money from the company? Why do we respond differently to injustices? Because we have a hope that goes way beyond the immediate. Does my work ethic invite questions concerning the hope that is in me? Does my work invoke respect from Non Christians? If it does it is a proclamation of Christ that is a part of the evangelism process.
In Matt. 9:37 Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." NIV
Very often our harvest field is in an office or a shop where there are people who need the Lord. I want us to notice something about what Jesus said. What is the problem concerning the harvest? The problem is a shortage of what? Workers, Laborers. He didn’t say orators or philosophers or even money. He said the shortage is in workers. That’s what God is recruiting—workers. Are you a worker available for the harvest? Where is your harvest?
At least part of it may be at your job.
So, I encourage you to see your job as a high and holy calling—an opportunity for the proclamation of Christ. May God use each of you as you go into your harvest field this week.
Prayer & Invitation
Notes:
(1)James Dunn whose source was Bits and Pieces, May, 1991, p. 2.
(2)John Cuddeford, Sermon entitled “Inspired Work; Inspiring Rest”, Hillside Baptist Church, North Vanouver BC870 Lynn Valley Road North Vancouver BC
(3)My comment on the word "slaves".
(4)J. Robert Ashcroft’s book entitled The Sequence of the Supernatural, Gospel Publishing House(Springfield, MO) is a brief book well worth reading.
(5)Thomas, “Working for All It’s Worth,” Moody, July/August 1998, p. 13, as quoted in Morgan, p. 796)....
(6)Romans 14:17
(7)My comment on the first part of the verse.
(8)Mike Wilkins, sermon entitled “God Can Use You to Draw People to Him, Runnymede Baptist Church, Toronto, ON
(9)Ibid
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
